Pink snow? Yellowstone visitors could see ‘colorful patches’ on the snow’s surface
A few “lucky” visitors could catch a glimpse of pink or crimson-colored snow this summer at Yellowstone National Park.
The “colorful patches” are visible on the snow’s surface thanks to blooming snow algae, according to Jeff Havig and Trinity Hamilton, researchers in plant and microbial biology, and Earth and environmental sciences at the University of Minnesota.
Snow algae are single-celled organisms that have adapted to “thrive in temperatures near freezing,” according to an April 3 post published by the U.S. Geological Survey.
These patches of algae aren’t visible until the spring and summer, and they are found on higher elevations in the park, the researchers said.
The algae “go into hibernation” when temperatures go below freezing.
Once temperatures rise, however, the algae harvests energy from the sun to create “photosynthetic pigments” that can appear pink.
This process also increases snow melt, researchers said.
“The pigments generated by the algae and cyanobacteria are darker than the white snow, and thus absorb most of the energy from the sun,” the researchers said in the blog post.
Snow algae aren’t only pink either. They can also appear as orange, brown, green and gray.
One of the best places to spot snow algae in Yellowstone is at Beartooth Mountains near Silver Gate, Montana.
Visitors can reach the area by traveling on Beartooth Pass. It’ll take you to an elevation of 10,947 feet, the researchers said.
Silver Gate is at the park’s northeast entrance on the Montana-Wyoming border.
Or visitors can try their luck looking on Mount Washburn by traveling the Dunraven Pass or White Peaks to Electric Peak, which are in more remote areas.
“The next time you pass a field of snow or go skiing in the spring/summer, look for patches of pink (or green or orange) and marvel at the unique community of algae and cyanobacteria adapted to life hovering near the freezing point of water,” researchers said.
This story was originally published April 3, 2023 at 4:28 PM with the headline "Pink snow? Yellowstone visitors could see ‘colorful patches’ on the snow’s surface."
